SF Marathon: Goals & Race Plan
Before a race, every runner has goals. For my first marathon, the goal was to finish. Later, the goals were specific paces, then a Boston qualifying time. Whatever your goal is, it’s important to write it down.
You don’t need to share it with all of the internet, but I’m going to do that here. The San Francisco Marathon is this Sunday! I’m posting my goals here to avoid the “personal revisionist history” that I and others often fall victim to.
In order of importance, my goals are to:
1. Finish the race without cramping. The reason I signed up for this race is to test strategies to prevent cramping. I explain below what tools I’ll be employing in this race.
2. Run a 2:44. I’m shooting for a 6:10 pace. Due to GPS inaccuracies and course accuracy errors, I expect the SF Marathon to be 26.4 miles according to my GPS. Add an extra minute for the steep ascent on the north side of the bridge, and voila: 2 hours and 44 minutes.
3. Beat my marathon PR of 2:50:12, set in February. If I cramp up, I’ll fall back to this goal as (1) and (2) won’t be possible.
My race plan is simple to execute on, if a bit elaborate.
I’ll be shooting for an even 6:10 pace throughout the race, though I expect to lose about a minute on the steep ascent at the north side of the bridge. I’ll run the first half with my friend Michael, who will tragically leave me somewhere in the park to shoot for a negative split race. I’ll be glad to have him with me for the first half, where we’re running into the wind and can alternate leading.
My nutrition plan is more complicated than usual, as that’s my main tool to combat cramps. The plan is to consume 2 cups of nuun carbohydrate drink at each water stop (every 1.5 miles or so). I typically take in less carbohydrate drink, but these drinks will help me replenish electrolytes. My eating schedule is:
3:30am: 2 bananas and a cup of tea
Mile 7: High sodium Gu Gel
Mile 10: Salt pill
Mile 14: Gu Energy Chew
Mile 20: Salt pill
Mile 21: Gu Energy Chew
This year, the race is handing out Gu Energy Chews rather than gels. I’ll drop by Sports Basement today to sample one, but don’t expect this to be problematic — the chews are very similar nutritionally to gels.
Finally, I’ll be carrying a small bottle of pickle juice with me. Several friends have recommended pickle juice for cramping, and while I’ve tried it during training, I haven’t had a chance to test it while cramping. If I don’t need it, great! But if I do cramp up, it will be an opportunity to try out this old wives’ tale.
This plan is pedantic, but I would be surprised if I’m able to stick to it. In running and in life, I like to have a well thought out plan, but be willing to deviate from it.
San Francisco is my home. It was the site of my first half marathon and, the following year, my first full. I couldn’t be more excited for this race. Good luck to all my friends running on Sunday!
